The Alternate Curse (temp title)
by Raeinspace
Summary: Regina undoes the curse so it is never cast. Cora is still determined to control her daughters life. Eventual SwanQueen.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own OUAT, etc.**

 **AN: An alternative ending for season 3.**

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There was so much pain. More than when she had taken in the curse from the well to allow Emma and Snow to return to Storybrooke. Like fire and ice fighting through her veins, trying to escape through her skin. The world around her shattered and Regina watched fragments of the town swirl around her, drift through darkness and vanish. She closed her eyes and when they opened again she was lying on the floor, struggling to breathe.

Thick, heavy fabric slid over the floor past her head.

"I'm very disappointed in you Regina."

Regina didn't bother trying to move, even if her body was able to – and after the backlash from her spell she wasn't sure it could – her mother's anger made her instinctively want to keep her eyes closed and her body still. She'd done something everyone thought impossible. Even the Dark One hadn't believed it would work. She'd had to do it, to save her family, and any pain was worth it.

"How could you fail? The Dark One himself foretold you would cast the curse."

Regina smiled in her mind. She hadn't failed. The curse had worked, Storybrooke had been real, she'd seen Emma and Henry there and then she'd undone the curse. Taken back all the darkness into herself, reversed time and made it so none of it had ever happened.

Rumple had promised her Henry would still be born, that she'd get to see her son again, if it worked. Even at the last he'd expected her to fail, but she hadn't. Now they all had a chance.

The floor was cold against her face, but her mother lifted her with magic and sent her flying backwards into a wall. When she could see again, she found her mother's face just inches from her own. Cora's mouth was moving, but all Regina could hear was a high-pitched buzzing sound. Her mother moved away, and her father came into view.

Regina felt tears brimming in her eyes at the sight of him again. He was speaking to her now, but she shook her head and tried to explain that she couldn't hear. There was so much she wanted to tell him.

"… foolish… Snow White."

Her mother's words broke through as the buzzing faded and Regina took a deep breath. Henry Snr stepped out of the way and turned to look at a mirror across the room.

"Look at her, Regina," Cora pointed to the mirror. "She doesn't realise you've failed, and because she refuses to give up hope she's still planning a way to save her child."

Regina took another breath, and tried to smile as she watched Snow pass baby Emma to Charming. Without her army there to attack the castle, they wouldn't need to send her away. Emma would have a chance to grow up with her family, and she would be safe.

Cora laughed, seeing the light shining in her daughter's eyes, "you're both wrong."

With a wave of her hand, Cora transported them to Snow White's castle. Once there she summoned a handful of Regina's guards and sent them to attack the royal family.

"Mother, you don't have to do this," Regina struggled against the invisible ropes binding her arms to her side.

"I promised on the day you were born that you would be Queen."

"I never wanted to rule."

"You will this time. I'm giving you a second chance Regina. You really should be more grateful."

Charming came into view, battling soldiers dressed in black armour. Cora followed him into the room containing the magical wardrobe, with Regina trailing helplessly behind. The second he placed Emma inside, before he closed the door, she blasted him with her magic and sent the soldiers away. She removed the princess from the wardrobe, knowing the Blue Fairy would be able to tell if all the magic was gone, and used her magic to send Emma to a safe location where she could collect her later.

"And now for you, my daughter. Can you guess yet what your punishment will be?"

"You're sending me to the land without magic?"

Cora tutted, and shook her head, "how would that make you Queen? Think Regina."

"You're going to use the magic of the wardrobe somehow?"

"Where did I go wrong? I found you the best tutors, encouraged you to study and yet… further failure."

Regina wanted to tell her mother that she wasn't a failure, that taking back the curse proved she was stronger and better than Cora, but didn't dare.

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to make you Queen. You will replace Emma and when you are old enough I will remove the Charmings for you."

"Even if you send me to the future, they'll know who I am. They'll recognise me."

Cora laughed, "You're not going to the future, except by the long way around, and I am going to replace everyone's memories of your appearance."

"You're going to turn me into a baby?"

"Finally, a sign that you're my daughter!"

Regina closed her eyes, gathering her most important memories. The darkness was still there, it fought her attempt to use what it saw as light magic. She had to hide the pain from her mother, but her first intention to simply lock away a few important memories wouldn't work until she knew what her mother intended to do about them. Regina opened her eyes and looked desperately around. What would remain in the castle, close at hand, for her to come in contact with again? An object to store the memories, one her mother wouldn't notice. She spotted Charming's sword, laying next to where he had fallen. Perhaps he would want to give his daughter lessons in fighting, just one touch and she would have her memories – all of them and not just the few she had intended to lock away.

"Now to say goodbye," Cora was still speaking, though Regina hadn't noticed.

She was out of time. As her mother began her own spell, Regina took a firm grip of her own magic and sent her memories towards the sword praying she would succeed.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Trying to keep Wonderland the same as the tie-in series (as much as possible), but as I've seen various film versions errors may creep in – apologies in advance for any confusion.**

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The little girl ran across the checkerboard, blonde hair streaming behind her, laughing as a white rabbit chased her. She reached the Hatter's table first, taking a seat and smiling when Percy finally reached them.

"You are more trouble than twenty of my children," he scolded her.

The girl just laughed and lifted the lid of the teapot to check whether the dormouse was hiding inside. It wasn't, so she poured two cups of tea and held one out to her old friend. The abandoned cottage behind her had once belonged to a man now known as the Mad Hatter and she had found it during one of her games with the rabbit's offspring. There were always cakes on the table and tea in the teapot (when it wasn't inhabited by the dormouse), but the girl didn't question such things. She accepted Wonderland because she had never known anything different.

Ever since she was a baby, she had been held captive at the Red Queen's castle with the Tweedles her only link to the outside world. They brought her food, bathed her and gave her new clothes when the old ones wore too thin. Her room was typical of the prison cells in the Kingdom, with the exception that instead of metal bars she had a wall with a solid door to keep her locked safely away. No-one could see the prisoner within, no-one would dare to try, and so for the first two years of her life she saw the world only through a tiny window. Heard only the voices of her jailors and what little whispers reached through the window on the wind. She was a thin, quiet child – pale from not enough sunlight or fresh air. She came to recognise the footsteps of her visitors, would sit up in her crib and wait for them to open the door. The only time she left the crib was when they came. They would let her move about for a little while, once she had eaten one of the three daily meals. Sometimes they spoke to her, mostly they spoke of the Queen to each other. The child didn't understand all of their words, just the ones commanding her to sit still or eat. They would lift her back into the crib before they left, afraid she would hurt herself in the sparse room that only contained one table and two chairs (and, of course, the crib). The table had served to hold her meals and a pile of plain cream-coloured cloth. Sometimes they brought enough water to clean her, though the Queen hadn't given them instructions to do so. She wore cloth diapers, though they were attempting to train her to use a shallow bucket. It was around her second year when she grew ill. One of the Tweedles passed on a cold, and without much exposure to the outside world she hadn't built up a strong enough immune system to catch it lightly. While he merely sniffled and politely coughed into a handkerchief the girl developed a fever. They consulted the Queen, who had mostly forgotten about the prisoner she was holding for Cora, and allowed them to send for a healer. The healer was told she and her entire family would be imprisoned if she spoke one word of the prisoner, before being taken to see the child. It took many long hours sitting in the cell before the girl was well again and as soon as she was released, Mrs Rabbit went straight to her husband and demanded that he do something to save her.

Percy looked down at his watch, "it's getting late."

"Another five minutes, please."

"If you aren't back in your cell when they come to check on you…"

"I could live here. They'd never find me."

They'd had this same conversation for the last week, and each time Percy gave her the same answer: "they have magic."

"Then take me to a place where they can't find me. Your portals take you to so many places, there must be somewhere…"

"I can't. I'm sorry. Perhaps when you're older… when you can take care of yourself."

"Then what's the point of helping me now? Why don't you leave me in the cell, instead of risking bringing me out here?"

"You need to be prepared for the day you are free. I've been looking for the right place to take you, but unless you develop your own magic to fight them with it's useless..."

Then the girl had new questions, ones she hadn't asked before but had been developing in her mind: "Who am I? Where are my parents? Why am I a prisoner?"

Percy wished he knew the answers. Trying to find out was too dangerous. They'd brought the girl into their family, tried to teach her things she would never have learnt while locked away, and that brought about more questions.

"The Queen wants you locked away and that is all either of us needs to know. Be glad that she doesn't turn her attention to you. You're safe where you are and for now that's enough. Try to be patient."

"It's so hard."

"That's why I bring you out here. Be glad of some freedom, learn the things you'll need to know and one day…"

" _Maybe_ ," the child imitated his tone.

"… one day you'll be free."

"Will you help me find the truth?"

"If I can, and I already try when I travel around but so far there are no stories that match yours."

"Mrs Rabbit calls me _girl_ , and you call me _child_ , the Tweedles don't bother with anything like that. I wish I had a real name."

"Perhaps you should choose one for yourself."

"But I don't know any names, except for the ones in the stories you tell."

"Would you like me to choose one for you?"

"Oh yes, please."

"Okay," Percy took a deep breath and frowned.

The girl watched him, waiting.

Eventually he shook his head, "I'll have to think about it. Naming is important. My wife and I spent a lot of time choosing the perfect names for each of our children and it should be done properly."

Seeing the look of disappointment on her face, he smiled, "but I promise to find you the perfect name."

"Soon?"

"Soon," he agreed. "Now, it is time to go."

He opened a portal and held out a paw to help her enter. Human children were so much trouble. Thankfully he only had this one to deal with. He wasn't sure he could handle any more.

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 **AN: so a bit depressing, the part where real-Emma (yes, Emma) is captive in the Red Queen's castle. I've been reading The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and while this isn't as bad as Dante's situation it has probably influenced it a little bit. More cheerful times coming up.**


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